Take It to God

Second Kings 4 opens with a powerful story of a woman who was truly in a terrible situation.

Her husband had died, her heart was broken, and she was completely grief-stricken. That alone is enough to make it hard to go on.   

But things got worse. Her husband left a large debt when he died. And the debt collector wasn’t cutting her any slack. In fact, he was ready to take her two sons as slaves to compensate for the debt.

It would’ve been easy for her to give up and become bitter, blaming God for her circumstances. After all, her husband wasn’t just an average Joe; he was part of the prophets and a devoted man who served the Lord. Why would God let this happen to one of His preachers?

Maybe you’re reading this today and tough times have hit you or your family. You’ve prayed, but God hasn’t come through like you wanted Him to. You can feel the bitterness beginning to creep into your heart.  

So what’s the antidote for bitterness? First, you must remember …

God doesn’t owe you anything.

As hard as it is in the tough times of life, we can’t forget that God is not just in heaven to serve us. He doesn’t owe us anything.

We aren’t entitled to anything, nor are we even deserving of the grace that God freely gives. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. We can’t earn it, and nothing we can do or say could ever achieve it.

When you think God owes you something, you’re opening the door to bitterness.

And yet, remember too that …

God truly cares for you.

God doesn’t do things for you because He owes you, but because He loves and cares for you.

One of the most powerful lessons God has taught me over the years comes from 2 Chronicles 7:3.  That verse states that God is truly good, and His lovingkindness lasts forever.

And those two truths are the foundation of the Christian life.

No matter what challenges you face, you can be assured that God is Good, and God Loves You !

If you have those two keys locked away in your heart, then you won’t get bitter at God and blame Him for the difficult circumstances that come to every life.

When you pray and pray but your loved one still slips through the jaws of death or when tragedy strikes, you can still know that God is good and that He loves and cares for you—no matter what!

Now the widow in our story could have easily gotten bitter at God. However, she chose a different response.  

She took her great need to God’s representative in Israel at that time, the prophet Elisha.

As nice as it was to go straight to God’s man, Elisha, you and I have an even greater resource today:  direct access to God through Jesus. We can take our difficulties straight to the Lord and lay them at His feet.

So when tough times come, don’t get bitter at God or run from Him. Rather run to Him with your problems.  

Turning to God and believing that He is good and that He cares for you is the best way to avoid the poison of bitterness.

1. What’s something you’ve felt you were owed by God but did not receive? How did this affect your relationship with Him?

2. What are you facing today that you need to take before God and ask for His lovingkindness and mercy to help you overcome? Take a moment now to pray and lay it at His feet.